That's for leaving me for a year, Asshole
by Screechy lady
Summary: Or the time where it took a second alien invasion for Artemis to realize that Wally was still following her around like a lovesick puppy. She just couldn't see him. (AKA that fix it fic I published three years too late)


Zap! The first time she thought something was amiss was when she had picked up her old bow-recently painted black to match the Tigress costume-and she got shocked. She was so startled that she dropped her bow on the floor of her room on the watchtower. Dropping her trusty weapon used to be near blasphemy, but things had changed. She had moved all her essential stuff up to the Watchtower and was living in her room. First, she had taken Nelson over to Mom's and while she tried to hide it, Artemis could tell that Paula was thrilled to have more company than Jade's sporadic visits with Lian and Artemis' tear fests. Then, she couldn't bring herself to put the home she and Wally had lived in together on the market, but couldn't bare to stay in the building for more than a few moments. The memories were to recent and bare, she was too jaded. Now, her Artemis costume lay discarded, roughly dumped into a box and shoved into the darkest corner of her closet. But, back to the matter at hand.

Cursing, she ran to the ensuing bathroom and put her hand under cool water until the pain had faded to a small buzz. Cursing her luck, she stomped back out of the bathroom to find the offending weapon and power source, preferably to kick the latter across the room. However, when she returned to the room, her bow lay lonely on the ground surrounded by the sea of white that was the tile flooring. Eyes narrowed, she crouched down to see if the offending device (probably an extra strength taser arrow that Ollie had given her) only to be stopped by the beeping of a communicator. Growling, she stood back up and picked up the communicator.

The next time she felt that something was wrong was when she was attacking the low level mob grunts forming a circle around her. She was in the middle of drop kicking one into the hood of a car next to her when she thought she saw a flash of familiar yellow electricity out of the corner of her eye. Turning to face the incoming threat, she was met with a mountain of a man trying to sneak up on her with a hand held taser, not unlike Nightwing's escrima sticks. Ducking his wild punch, she kicked him in the knee shattering his knee cap, and followed that up with a punch to the face breaking his nose. She was only aware of the taser clattering onto the street once the man was down, rocking in agony as his hands lay limp lesson on the street, unsure which broken appendage to grasp. His wide eyes stared up at her in rage. They both knew that she had never touched the weapon.

The time after that, she had gone wandering at the Star City fair with Zatanna, M'Gann, Barbara, and Karen. Intrigued at the sight of signs proclaiming "Fortunes and palm readings" and "Witness the power of the crystal ball" among others, she went to the booth, despite Zatanna's grumpy muttering about how "it wasn't real fortune telling." Upon pushing away the flap at the front of the tent, she was greeted by a small, rickety, table that was barely noticeable in the dark of the tent. The air reeked of incense and perfume and Artemis had to resist gagging at the traitorous air. Soldiering on, she moved toward a rickety table from behind which a woman was revealed. "I sense you have come to see your future. The cards dealt to you in the past have been unfavorable, and you seek a telling of your future." She was young, in her low twenties with mesmerizing eyes that reminded her of Dick's. Vaguely she realized that this woman was a gypsy.

"Something like that." she muttered.

"What would you like to start off with, a crystal ball or tarot cards?" Wary of the woman's previous statement about cards she replied.

"The crystal ball."

"Then please, sit down, sit down." Artemis sat down, albeit reluctantly. "I need you to open your mind to the spirit world. Allow any phantoms to come to us. Place your palms on my palms and listen." Artemis did as instructed, relaxing and closing her eyes, only to open them in surprise as yellow lightning circled around the inside of the glass orb, bouncing around angrily. "Interesting. That's never happened before." the gypsy mused.

"What does it mean?" Artemis worriedly asked.

"That someone very special is coming to you." the woman smiled, her eyes hiding secrets. "I believe your friends are waiting for you." she smiled. Artemis went to reach for her wallet, but the woman stopped her. "Please, don't. This one's on the house." she smiled. Artemis just nodded numbly and stood up to leave. "Oh and Artemis? Do have the courage to wait." It wasn't until much later, as she lay awake in bed, with tear tracks down her face, that she realized that she had never told the woman her name.

It wasn't until months later that Artemis found out what, or rather who, the energy was. Brainiac had come to invade Earth and wage war against the Reach unfortunately for him, he was only about one year late (note the sarcasm). The Team and the League stand together, battling the robot's many hench-robots and Artemis is as shocked as Ollie when she's knocked from their sniping perch by a stray shot. Arrow reaches down to grab her hand, knocked arrow forgotten, but he's too late and she's plummeting over a hundred feet. She tries to spread out her limbs in classic sky diving position even though she knows that her descent is most likely not going to be slowed down. As the ground comes up to meet her, she's vaguely aware of the heroes being subdued by the robots. What draws most her attention (understandably) is the fact that she's no longer about to have a date with the ground. Instead, she's been captured by the yellow energy that was at the street, the fortune teller booth, and (even though she didn't see it) her bow. Speaking of the weapon, her bow has also been returned to her, even though it was on the perch she had just been on.

Fat luck her weapon did now, surrounded by robots with the rest of the League subdued and left to helplessly watch her try to win a losing battle. Never one to be patient, she pulls three arrows from her quiver and buries them in the "heads" of three robots. The fight that ensues is fast, but at the end, she is surrounded by the bodies of several dozen robots and she's panting heavily. "Interesting." mumbled Brainiac looking at a diagram he's pulled up. "With that much kinetic energy at your disposal, why do you fight with your archaic weapon?"

She just narrows her eyes at him and asks "Excuse me?" The transition from a super villain trying to conquer Earth whose partially responsible for the dive she just took, to a curious student has her thrown for a loop.

"You haven't noticed it? It just saved you several times."

"Do you mean the lightning?" she asks, confused. The robot looks preoccupied staring at a demographic on the screen in front of him. It's a perfect opportunity to bury an arrow in his eye socket, but she's intrigued about what he has to say. As she opened her mouth to tell him that yes, she's aware of the energy that seems to congregate around her, thank you very much, she nearly gets hit by a shot from the blaster on his hand. However, the shot is deflected by the shield of energy that forms a barrier around her. Nightwing's eyes are wide behind his mask as he comes to the same conclusion as Braniac.

"It appears that someone or something is trying to get to you from a pocket dimension my dear." Is the only warning that she gets before she's being shot at again by Braniac and once again the shield of energy in front of her protects her. Except the shield is starting to take a very familiar form as it charges Braniac and vibrates a hand through his head, causing the robot to blow up.

"Real subtle, you idiot." she mutters as the League is released from their bonds by the streak of yellow. Most of the heroes have comically confused expressions on their faces.

"Artemis? What was that?" Zatanna voiced her concern for friend.

"That Z, was my idiot boyfriend." She says as Wally says,

"Miss me babe?" Stomping up to her boyfriend of five years, she slapped him as hard as she could.

"That is for leaving me for a year you asshole." she angrily growls. "And no, I don't count your stupid lightning shocking me, thugs, or possessing crystal balls." she adds when he begins to protest. "And this is for coming back after a year." she adds, pulling him into a kiss that lasts so long that it has Barry awkwardly clearing his throat.

"So Artemis, are you just going to keep him for yourself, or can I say hello to my nephew that's been missing for a year?" she just smiles.


End file.
